


The Stars are Alive

by orphan_account



Category: Merlin - Fandom
Genre: #HelpMe, #Ifoundanewship, #Ihatethatilovethissomuch, #gay, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 01:36:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10776726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Merlin was just trying to get through his last year of high school. In the fall, he would be going to a university to study to be a history teacher. But when a very egotistical blond boy shows his face at Westview High school, he has a very hard time focusing on his studies, and not on the new kid.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have been wanting to write a Merther fic for soooo long. I love Merther, they are my smol beans. Anyways, enjoy the first chapter!

Merlin stared down at the now cold cup of coffee on the table before him. The cream was swirling around in the mug, causing a spiral pattern to form. It was midnight, and he had been up since three the previous morning. He knew he should sleep, but if he didn't work on his english paper, he would have to do it tomorrow, during his free period. He let out a low, frustrated sigh as he stood up and walked over to the island in the center of his kitchen. He put the still-half-full mug of coffee into the sink, and started to head for his bedroom. He was halfway there when he realized that he had left his laptop, open, on the kitchen table. Deciding he didn't care that much anyways, he continued to his bedroom, already taking off his shirt as he walked.

Once safely in the walls of his bedroom, he stripped off his jeans and climbed into bed, not giving his english paper a second thought. Sleep was important, too. Besides, he would have plenty of time tomorrow morning before school, if he wasn't late, as always. 

Shutting his eyes, he rested his head against his pillows, settling in for the night and, eventually, falling asleep.

 

"God, Merlin. You look like hell," Merlin looked up from his laptop screen to see his friend, Gwen, standing a little ways to the right of him, holding two cups of coffee.

"I knew you would be up late last night, so I figured some coffee would be good. Especially since you look like you were dragged from hell," she said, a grin on her gentle face. She set his cup of coffee on the table, and sat down beside him.

"Thanks, Gwen. I really appreciate it." Merlin said, taking a quick sip of coffee before returning to typing on his laptop.

"You're still working on that stupid paper? Merlin, thats due in an hour." Gwen said, a look of astonishment on her face. Merlin shrugged, but his eyes didn't leave the screen. His fingers typed on the keyboard quickly, almost to quickly for his grammar to be correct. He wasn't so worried about his grammar at this point, though.

"Well, I should get going, Mrs. Murry wanted to talk to me before school. I'll see you in english, yeah?"

"Yeah," Merlin said, still not looking up from his laptop screen. Gwen sighed, but didn't comment as she slipped away and went back towards the school.

A cool breeze blew gently through the campus, picking up leaves and throwing them around, making it look as though there were mini tornados all throughout the campus. It was late september, so it was starting to get colder. Merlin didn't much like the cold, so when winter came, he usually stayed inside cuddled up in blankets. He hated the thought of winter.

The bell signaling first period went off, and Merlin let out a sigh. He shut his laptop lid and grabbed his bag, slinging it over his head and grabbing his coffee before heading to his first class: math.

Merlin never enjoyed math as much as Gwen, Gwen absolutely loved it. But Merlin, he preferred history. Much more his style. He supposed it would have to do with growing up with all of the old legends and tales sitting on bookshelves in his house, stories his mum would read to him all the time when he was a kid. He was even named after a legend.

He made it to his class just as the bell rang, and he quickly apologized to his math teacher before taking his usual seat in the far back of the class.

"Today we will be doing some more bookwork. Everyone take out your books and turn to page 562." his math teacher, Miss. Kinley, said. Merlin grabbed his book from his bag and quickly turned to the page she had requested.

The rest of math went by quickly, and Merlin was out of there and racing to his next class.

"Hey," he greeted Gwen, as he took a seat next to her. She smiled at him.

"Hey." she greeted. Merlin set down his bag and laptop, letting out a content sigh. English is what he was good at, though he didn't really know why. He seemed to be very good at the things Gauis enjoyed.

"So, what did Mrs. Murry want?" Merlin asked Gwen as he watched their teacher scramble around with the projector.

"A new kid arrived today, so she wanted me to show him around." Gwen said back. Merlin raised an eyebrow. Westview very rarely got any new kids, so when one arrived at the school, everyone was curious. Merlin almost felt bad for those unfortunate, unlucky souls. Almost.

"What's he like?" Merlin asked. Gwen blushed.

"He's cute. He's really toned, and his hair is this amazing shade of blond, and I swear his eyes are like crystals-"

"Gwen," Merlin cut off his friend, knowing all too well she would go on forever if he didn't.

"Sorry," she said, blushing an even deeper shade of red. 

"Its fine," Merlin assured her, but shut up soon after, as Mrs. Murry had finally managed to get the projector working.

"Alright class, we have a new student today. Arthur Pendragon." Merlin stared as a very tall, blond haired boy appeared through the doorway to the class room. Gwen wasn't kidding when she said he was toned. His dark blue shirt fit him well, showing off all the right things. His jeans were tattered and worn, but it gave him an almost tough guy look. His blond hair seemed to sparkle gold in the sunlight, and his blue eyes matched that of the ocean's blueness. Merlin didn't know why, but he really enjoyed just  _looking_ at him.

"Damn," he whispered, as the blond haired boy, now known as Arthur, walked between the desks, searching for a place to sit. Merlin nearly died when he sat in the seat next to him.

"Arthur, that will be your seat for the year. Now class, please give him a warm welcome." Mrs. Murry said, before turning back to her projector.

"Hi, I'm Merlin." Merlin said to the boy. Arthur gave him a curious look, before smiling at him. Merlin took that as the only sign of friendliness he would get. So, he turned in his seat and looked at Gwen.

"I know, right?" she mouthed at him. Merlin grinned at her, before focusing his attention to Mrs. Murry's lesson.

 

"Merlin!" Gwen called to him, as he walked out onto the front lawn of the school. She was sat at one of the many tables spread throughout the area, a book in her hand.

"Whatcha reading?" Merlin asked her, as he took a seat on the rounded stone bench beside her.

"Herbs and Flowers: The ones you need to know." she read, and Merlin laughed.

"I forget you enjoy reading that stuff for fun. Why?" he asked the dark haired girl. She just shrugged.

"It's interesting. Did you know that parsley is really good in soup?" Gwen asked him, a playful glint in her eyes. Merlin let out a low chuckle.

"Yes, Gwen. I knew that." he said. Although most people don't know this except his mother and Gauis, he really enjoyed to cook. It was something he was just always good at, and he didn't really know why.

"Shut up, stop laughing!" Gwen said, smacking him on the arm. Merlin just gave her a cheeky grin before getting up.

"I gotta go, lots of studying to do. I'll see you tomorrow?" he said, and the shorter girl nodded.

"See you," Merlin left her with her book, heading towards the large drive way. His apartment was close enough for him to walk to school, which was handy. He set off down the street, towards his apartment building. 

He'd only gone a little ways when he heard laughing. Looking around, he saw the new boy, Arthur, laughing at a freshmen. Merlin frowned. He started walking towards the two. Arthur started taunting the boy, saying things that made Merlin's blood boil.

"Hey!" he called out, growing angrier with each taunt. Arthur looked over at him approaching, and the boy quickly scrabbled away from Arthur.

"Leave him alone, mate." Merlin said, near enough now that he didn't need to shout.

"Why should I?" Arthur said, a grin on his smug face. Merlin wanted to punch him.

"Because you have no right to pick on him. He hasn't done anything to you," Merlin said angrily. He earned a laugh from Arthur, and the blond shook his head.

"He bumped into me. He deserved it," Arthur said. Merlin raised an eyebrow.

"It was an accident." Merlin defended. Arthur just shook his head.

"Whatever, I don't need to listen to some boy in rags anyways."

Arthur fell back as Merlin's fist connected with his face.

"What the hell?!" Arthur yelled, holding his cheek where Merlin had punched him. Merlin ignored the pain in his hand and focused on the tall boy in front of him.

"Don't you ever, make fun of the clothes I wear. I got these from my mother, who hand made them." Merlin growled. He knew his clothes weren't as nice as some, but this shirt was his favorite.

"Mommy makes your clothes? How sad," Arthur teased. Merlin's frown deepened.

"Fuck off," Merlin said. By now, the boy Arthur had been picking on was long gone. Merlin decided he should do the same. Grabbing his dropped bag, he slung it over his head and walked off, leaving the blond to stand alone in the street.

When he got back to his apartment, he set his things down on the floor and walked to the sink. He put his hand under cold water, washing the blood from his knuckles. He went to the bathroom after, and dried his hand before wrapping his knuckles in bandages. Satisfied, he went into his bedroom and flopped backwards onto his bed. He was so  _tired_. Everything just seemed to be to much nowadays. He just couldn't seem to get a break. 

Merlin sighed, running his non-bandaged hand down his face. He couldn't believe he had thought the boy was cute.

Well, he was. But he was also an ass. An ass that was extremely attractive.

"God, Merlin. Get a fucking grip," he murmured. 

He didn't realize he had fallen asleep until he rolled over, only to find it dark in his room, with the streetlamp from outside the only source of light. He groaned, climbing off his bed and making his way over to his desk, where a digital clock was sitting. It read 3:43 am. Sighing, he decided he should do something. It was obvious he wasn't going to be getting any more sleep tonight, so he grabbed a jacket and left the apartment, shivering in the night air.

He walked down the empty streets of London, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. It didn't do much to keep him sheltered from the cold, but it was better than nothing. He eventually found his way to a small coffee shop a few miles from his apartment, and decided to go in. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Arthur, leaning against the counter talking to a girl who appeared to be around his age. She had long, dark hair, and piercing eyes. She was laughing at something Arthur had said. Merlin hadn't even taken a step when Arthur's eyes glanced over and saw him. Neither of them moved, and the smile on his face faded. 

Finally, Merlin broke the stare, walking up to the counter and ordering a coffee from the young man standing behind said counter. Merlin heard Arthur tell his friend something, though he didn't quite catch what it was, before he heard the footsteps approaching. Merlin tensed. He didn't want another fight now, thats the last thing he needed. He just wanted his coffee.

"Hey," the blond said, but Merlin didn't respond. Instead, he stood with his back to Arthur, ignoring him. He didn't want to be rude, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with this right now. He was tired, he felt like shit, and honestly another argument with this prat would do him no good.

"Merlin." Arthur's voice was louder this time, and Merlin bit his lip before turning to face him.

"What is it?" he asked coldly. He hadn't intended to be, its just how it came out. He thought he saw a flash of hurt in Arthur's eyes, but it was gone to quickly for him to tell.

  
"I just..wanted to say I was sorry. Its been a long day, and I took it out on that kid. Truth is, I've been under a lot of stress lately and uh, well. I don't know. I'm sorry, is what I'm trying to say." Arthur rubbed the back of his neck, looking down at the floor of shop. Merlin just stood there, not sure of what to say. His brain wasn't really helping much, either.

"Its alright." Merlin finally said, not making eye contact. Arthur nodded, before turning on his heel and leaving. Merlin let out a breath he hadn't even known he was holding. 

The barista came back into sight, and handed Merlin his coffee. After paying him, Merlin decided he should probably head back to his apartment.

As he walked, he thought about what Arthur had said. What had he meant by "under a lot of stress"? Could it be because of school? Merlin doubted it, he had seen the work he was doing in math. The boy was a genius. Merlin's thoughts continued on about the blond, while he made his way slowly back to his apartment, sipping his coffee as he went. By the time he had made it back, it was almost six, and the coffee was long gone. He don't know why, but he was nervous to see Arthur today. It was weird. 

He got back to his apartment and collapsed on the couch, wanting more than ever to put his head through a damn wall.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin and Arthur learn more about each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I normally wouldn't post chapters so close together in time frames but I couldn't help myself. I had to.

Merlin stared at his laptop screen, ignoring the blistering headache he has had since eight o'clock that morning. He  _hated_ headaches. He always felt as though his head was going to fall off. He reached his arms above his head, entwining his fingers with each other, stretching. His back ached a bit, too, but only because he had spent most of the day in a hard, wooden chair. 

All around him, the coffee shop was bustling with activity. Customers were seated at tables, drinking their coffees and talking with their companions, or just watching the traffic outside, minding their own business and enjoying the day. There were a few people seated at tables, on their laptops or phones. Merlin was one such person. Behind the large wooden counter stood a young, brown haired women, who in the past week had become known to Merlin as Morgana. An interesting name, though not one any less interesting than his, he supposed. Morgana and Merlin had become fast friends, and Merlin was in here almost every day to get coffee and chat with her, if not for a brief moment. 

There were sounds of an ice machine, and various coffee grinders going off in the back of the shop, and the smell was of ground coffee beans. Merlin absolutely loved it. Something about this place seemed so..homey. 

Every once in a while, Arthur would pop in to say hello to Morgana, and have a conversation with her. Merlin would usually raise a hand in hello to him, but nothing more. The other boy seemed content with that, as well. 

Today, however, Arthur had a different idea. 

"Hello." he greeted Merlin, as he pulled the chair across from Merlin out away from the table and sat down. Merlin looked up from his screen, one eyebrow raised in questioning.

"Hi?" he said. Arthur didn't speak, and for a moment, looked as though he were going to get up and leave. But then; "I want to get to know you better,"

Merlin blinked. He wasn't sure if he had heard right. Arthur? Want to get to know  _him_? Why? There had to be some sort of catch. People like Arthur didn't just want to  _get to know_ you. 

Over the past week, he had learned much about Arthur from Morgana, though not as much as he wished. Arthur's dad was a very power full business man, who owned multiple business' all over the world. He was very well known, and Arthur appeared rather proud of that fact. Arthur himself was a model, which, to Merlin, fit him  _perfectly_. He didn't really want to get into the things he would imagine late at night, thinking about that fact of Arthur. (he couldn't help it, the boy was gorgeous)

Overall, Arthur acted like a stuck-up rich kid. He was an ass, as Merlin liked to call him. Morgana was his adoptive sister. 

"Are you going to say something, or..?" Arthur asked, snapping Merlin from his thoughts of Arthur's latest modeling shoot. 

"Um, y-yeah, that'd be great." he stuttered. Arthur smiled.

"Great, so tell me about yourself." Arthur said, folding his hands neatly on the table. He had a wide grin on his face, too, that made Merlin's heart melt. God, he hated Arthur for his good looks.

"Well, um. Let's see. I like history. I'm really into coffee. I'm an insomniac, and well...uh-that's about it, really." he said. Arthur chuckled, shaking his head.

"Well, I suppose thats a start. What about your family?" Merlin sighed. At this rate, he was never going to finish his history project.

"Look, Arthur. I want to get to know you and all, but I REALLY need to finish this project. Maybe some other time?" he asked the blond boy. Arthur gave him a small smile, though he looked a little disappointed.

"Alright, yeah. Some other time, then. Good luck on that project," Arthur stood, leaving Merlin alone with his laptop again. He shifted in his seat. By now, his coffee was gone, and he didn't have the money for any more. He sighed. Standing, he decided to head back to his apartment. Maybe he would get some more work done there.

 

By the time he made it back to his apartment, he was exhausted. He hadn't slept well last night, he had been up all night until five, working on this damned project. He managed to sleep for a little while, but woke up at eight and started working on the project again. His life was in an endless loop it seemed. Sleep, eat, drink coffee, work on project. Repeat. He hated it. But, it had to be done. He needed to get into Uni. If he didn't, Gauis and his mother would kill him.

 

Merlin sat on his couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table, piled with old, used coffee cups. His project was almost finished, he just had to spell-check it to make sure everything was perfect. 

When he finally made sure everything was in order, and he was satisfied, he shut his laptop screen and leaned back into the couch. He was so done with school, and it was only the beginning of October. How was he going to make it through this year? Merlin had no idea. He just wanted to relax. 

Deciding to go to the park, he grabbed one of his favorite history books and left the apartment. The sun was out, and felt warm on his face, despite the bitter wind that was blowing his hair all around, causing it to be even more of a mess than previously. He sighed. He arrived at the park, and took a seat on one of the benches around the park. Children were running around, enjoying the afternoon, despite the cold. Parents sat nearby, talking to each other, or browsing something on their phone's. He watched as one girl in particular fell off the bench she was seated at, a dog jumping on her and licking her face. She was laughing, despite being covered in grass and dog saliva. Merlin wanted a dog. He just couldn't afford one, Gauis paid for the apartment, and his food. He couldn't get a dog, no matter how much he wanted one.

The old man was out traveling, exploring historic sites and visiting scientists all around the world. Merlin was glad he was having fun, but it was just..strange, not having him around. Merlin was eighteen, he could take care of himself, for the most part. But it was nice to have that company, and Gauis was a great family friend.

His mom had asked him to stay with Gauis when Merlin was only a freshmen. Thats when he moved, and started school at Westview. And then he met Gwen, who has been his only real friend there. Everyone else either didn't like him or didn't really care. Merlin was fine with that, Gwen was the only friend he really needed. Although, now he had Morgana, as well. So that was something.

Merlin yawned. He started, just now realizing that it was almost completely dark out. He had to get home, he needed to at least  _try_ to get some sleep tonight. Though he doubted it would do him any good. His life was a mess to begin with. 

As he made his way back to the apartment, he looked up. The street lights blocked out some of the stars, but not all of them. Merlin could just see the faint outlines of various stars, glimmering in the sky, like little diamonds. He always loved stargazing, he and his mother would do it for hours when he was younger. He loved finding new constellations and shapes in the stars, discovering new patterns. It was a fun thing, to him. Though some might call it childish. 

He finally reached his apartment and went inside, the stars being shut out. He went immediately to his bedroom, kicking off his shoes and taking off his shirt along the way. By the time he reached his bed, he was only in briefs and socks, and he collapsed onto his bed, letting out a content sigh. He got himself settled under the covers, and soon, drifted to sleep, memories of stargazing with his mother in his head.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin and Arthur go on a trip together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I literally love writing this. I haven't enjoyed writing as much as I used to as of late, and I felt as though I was starting to fall out of interest with it. But this fic has sort of re-kindled that. So yeah, expect TONS of updates for this fic, cause I absolutely love it.

Merlin groaned in frustration, slamming the book he was reading closed. A cloud of dust flew into the air, and Merlin had to wave his hand in the air to clear the dust. He had been working on research for a paper he had due soon, but every book in the library was as old as God himself. Or, at least, thats what Merlin believed. They looked as though they hadn't been touched in years, with layers of dust centimeters thick layering each one. Every time he opened a book, a cloud of dust would rise from it's yellowing pages. He had had just about enough of it.

"Merlin, there you are. I've been looking for you everywhere," Gwen said, and Merlin turned to see his friend. She was holding a book, an old one, from what Merlin could gather just by looking at it.

"Mr. Lockrin wants to see you." Merlin sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

"Now? Why does he need me now? I'm kind of in the middle of something," Merlin said, starting to gather up his things and throwing them into his bag.

"I don't know. I wish I could be of more help." Gwen gave him a sympathetic glance, but it did nothing to soothe Merlin's growing frustration.

"The history paper is due in two days and I can't find a single book on King Arthur. I know this school has one, its got to be here somewhere!" Merlin said, his voice growing louder with each word.

"Well. Didn't your mother enjoy those types of stories? Why don't you ask her?" Gwen suggested, but Merlin was already shaking his head before she had even finished her sentence. 

"No, I already tried. She didn't know much about him, only that there were certain legends. And Gauis didn't know anything, either." Merlin leaned against the edge of the table, frowning. Gwen looked down at her shoes, a glint in her eyes, and Merlin felt a knot tighten in his stomach. He knew that look, it was the look of 'I know something, but won't tell you because you'll hate it'. Merlin  _hated_ when she had that look.

"What is it?" he asked her, and Gwen's head shot up.

"You could always ask Arthur. He was named after King Arthur, you know. He might be able to help." she said the words so fast, Merlin almost had to ask her to repeat herself. 

"What? No way. Absolutely not. He would just laugh in my face, or call me a twat." Merlin shook his head again.

"You don't know that. Come on, he could help you," she said, taking a step closer to him. Merlin gave her his best 'I said no' look, but it was long past effective on the brunette. She grew out of listening to him when they were in grade 10. 

"Please, Merlin. At least try. You never know, and besides. You need the help." she urged him. He sighed.

"Fine. Now, I've got to go. Mr. Lockrin will be pissed if I don't go see him soon," Merlin said. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, not bothering to say goodbye to the dark-skinned girl as he passed by her to get to the door.

"Merlin," she called. Merlin stopped in the doorway, and looked back over his shoulder tentatively.

"Yes?"

"Don't go causing trouble with Mr. Lockrin, okay? You don't need another detention." she scolded, but Merlin only smirked before leaving her alone in the library.

As he walked, he could only think about Arthur. It was true that he was named after the great king of legend, but that didn't mean he knew anything about the guy, right? Merlin wasn't sure.

Soon he reached Mr. Lockrin's classroom, and knocked before entering.

"Hello, Merlin. Take a seat." Mr. Lockrin said, motioning to a chair situated on the other side of his desk. 

Mr. Lockrin and Merlin never really got along, in the three years Merlin had been taught by him. He didn't know why, but Mr. Lockrin just didn't like him. 

"Merlin, I understand that you are an amazing history student. You enjoy it much, yes?" Mr. Lockrin sat with his legs crossed, staring at Merlin from across the desk. Merlin nodded, though he wasn't sure where this was going. Mr. Lockrin had taught history to him for two years, certainly by now he would know how much he enjoyed history?

"I have a student who is also exceptionally good at history, and enjoys it almost as much, if not exactly, as you. And I would like for you two to work together," Merlin's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. What did he mean, work together? And who was this other student?

"I'm sorry sir, I don't know what you mean. Work together? On what? And with who?' Merlin had so many questions.

"Now now Merlin. Just be patient and I will explain," Merlin leant back in his chair, huffing. He hated being patient. He was never good at it.

"Now, I nominated you to enter a contest, to represent Westview at the National History Competition. I entered you, and one other student. You two will go to the competition, compete, and hopefully, win." Mr. Lockrin explained. Merlin was still lost, and was about to ask another question when Mr. Lockrin held up a hand.

"The competition is this weekend, you will leave in tomorrow morning. It is only a five hour drive to the place it is being held, so you won't need to worry much about traveling far." Mr. Lockrin raised his eyebrows.

"Any questions?"

"Just one," Merlin said, "who is it that I am competing with?" Mr. Lockrin smiled.

"Ah, here he is now. Arthur, I assume you've met Merlin?" Merlin turned in his seat to look at the blond haired boy.

"Yes, I have." Arthur glanced at Merlin for a moment before looking away, at Mr. Lockrin.

"Good. I hope to see that you two will bring home the History Cup, and bring honor to our school. Good luck." Mr. Lockrin dismissed them both, and once they were in the hallway, Merlin turned to look at Arthur.

"You like history?" Merlin said, his face screwed up in a confused look. Arthur chuckled.

"What? Didn't think a stunning, male model could enjoy learning about Ben Franklin? Please, Merlin. You aren't the only one named after a legend, and least of all who enjoys those sorts of things." Arthur smirked at him.

"See you tomorrow, history buddy." Arthur clapped him on the shoulder before taking off down the hall. Merlin, however, was still battling with himself inside his head. Arthur,  _competing_ in a history competition? Merlin must be dreaming, but suddenly, Arthur had just gotten a million times more attractive.

Merlin shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts of the blue-eyed boy, before setting off to find Gwen.

 

Merlin  _hated_ this. Arthur hadn't shown up yet, and it was nearly time to go. If they didn't leave soon, they would never make it to Middlesbrough in time to check in at their hotel.

"Come on Arthur. Where are you?" Merlin muttered. He was leaning against the car the school had rented for them, a piece of shit car that they decided would work for their little trip. Despite the cold wind blowing throughout the town like a tornado, the sun was shining brightly this morning, and Merlin enjoyed the warm rays. He was about to just get in the car and leave without Arthur, when the man himself came running around a corner, racing towards the car.

"Sorry I'm late. My dad would not stop talking." Arthur said, out of breath as he loaded his bag into the trunk of the car.

"Its fine," Merlin said, opening the drivers side door. "I'll drive first, and then we can rotate turns. Sound good?' he didn't wait for an answer as he climbed into the car, starting it.

"Yeah, sounds great." he heard Arthur mutter, as the blond clambered into the passengers side. Merlin checked that all the mirrors and such were in place before leaving the parking lot.

"So, have you ever competed in a competition like this before?" Arthur asked him. Merlin shook his head.

"Nope, never really bothered. I figured I didn't need to prove my knowledge, everyone already knew how much of a history nerd I am," he said. Arthur snorted.

"Yeah, I get that." 

The two traveled in silence, neither of them speaking for many miles before finally, Arthur broke it.

"I'm starving," he said, glancing over at Merlin. Merlin smirked.

"Thats 'cause you didn't eat breakfast." Merlin said. Arthur glared at him.

"Can we please just stop somewhere?" Arthur asked. Merlin laughed.

"Oh, yeah. Just let me pull over right here on the side of the road, in the middle of no where, and see if there is a place to get some food." he smirked at Arthur, and the blond rolled his eyes. Suddenly, a cloud of gray smoke erupted from the front of the car.

"No, no no no. Come on," Merlin said, steering the car off of the main road and onto the side of it.

"Whats happened?" Arthur asked, but Merlin didn't answer. He got out of the car, popping the hood.

Smoke tendrils spiraled up from the car, and Merlin felt a growing knot in his stomach.

"Dammit! Piece of shit car." he kicked the left front of the car, and then proceeded to hold his foot as it erupted in pain.

"The engine blew. Now we're stranded in the middle of no where, with no food, no water, and no god-damn cell service." Merlin said angrily, as Arthur got out of the car. Arthur sighed.

"Well, I guess we better start walking." he said, going to grab his things from the trunk. Merlin laughed.

"Are you crazy? We're in the middle of no where. There isn't anything around for miles. We could be wandering for days. No, it would be smarter to stay with the car, where we have shelter, and wait for someone to pass by." he said, but Arthur shook his head.

"You don't know that someone will pass by, Merlin. We need to keep moving, we only had another half-hour left of driving to get to the nearest town. We might be able to reach it by sundown if we start walking now." Arthur argued, putting his hands on his hips. Merlin just stared at him.

"I'm staying here, you go if you want." he said. Arthur let out a low sigh, and Merlin sat on the hood of the car. After a few moments, Arthur moved to sit next to him.

"I thought you were leaving," Merlin murmured. Arthur scoffed.

"I'm not leaving you alone, stranded in the middle of no where, Merlin. I may not seem like it but I do care for you, at least a little." Arthur said, not looking at Merlin, but instead, at the setting sun. Soon, it would be cold, and they would need to somehow figure out a way to sleep in the car.

"Alright," Merlin said.

"Alright," Arthur agreed.

 

Merlin lied on the folded up leather seats of the old rental car the school had gotten for them. They had managed to find a way to fit them both in the back of the car, and it was now dark. Neither of the two boys were any comfy, but at least they were warm. They had piled some old blankets they had found buried in the trunk for them to use, and both were much warmer than before.

Merlin stared at the carpeted ceiling of the car, thinking. What a day this had been. First, Arthur was late. And then, the car breaks down, and the nearest town is an eight mile walk. Merlin sighed. Tomorrow, at least, they would walk there, and hopefully find a way to the right place. It was a good thing that the competition was on sunday. It was currently friday, and tomorrow, on saturday, they would hopefully find a way to the city it was being held in. If not, well, Merlin wasn't entirely sure what he would do if they didn't make it on time.

"Hey Merlin, can I ask you something?" Arthur's voice broke through his thoughts, bringing him back to reality.

"Yeah," he said. Arthur didn't speak for a moment, and then; "Are you gay?" 

The question was so unexpected that Merlin had to stop himself from yelling something stupid. What kind of question was that?

"Um," he said, not sure how to respond.

"Its fine if you don't want to answer," Arthur responded, "it was just a question." Merlin was quiet, thinking over his options. He wasn't sure he knew Arthur well enough to admit to him how he felt about guys. Sure, Merlin had had boyfriends before, but...none of them ever seemed, right. He was always breaking things off, sometimes for reasons not even known to him. He wasn't sure how to handle the situation. In fact, he wasn't even sure of how to handle Arthur.

"Nevermind," Arthur said, rather hurriedly, rolling back over so that his back was to Merlin. Merlin resisted the urge to put a hand on the other boy's shoulder, to tell him it was fine, that in truth, Merlin was, in fact, very gay. But he didn't, all his past experiences told him not to touch Arthur.

"I am," Merlin said slowly, and he could have sworn he heard a sigh of relief from Arthur.

"What about you?" Merlin asked, carefully. He wasn't sure if he should have asked that, but then again, it was only fair. Arthur had asked him, so why couldn't he ask Arthur?

"Well, I..yeah, I am. But my dad, he doesn't know." Arthur said. Merlin nodded, even though Arthur couldn't see him. He couldn't think of anything to say to that, so he just said; "Cool."

"Yeah," Arthur said. They both grew quiet after that, neither of them wanting to disturb the other any further.

 

The next morning, as the two boys gathered their things and headed out for the nearest town, neither of them spoke. All Merlin could think about was the boy walking beside him. Arthur was gay.

Merlin wasn't entirely sure why this made him so happy. He really needed to get a handle on his feelings. It killed Merlin not to talk to Arthur, but judging by the look on the blond boy's face, he wanted to be left alone. So left alone he was. Merlin didn't speak to him until the other town was in sight, which took them two hours to walk to. By the time they reached the town, it was around noon.

"I'm going to see if we can find a hotel to stay at, you ask how far away Middlesbrough is from here," Arthur said, going in the opposite direction, towards some of the hotels lined across the streets. Merlin watched him go, before turning around and asking a young women about Middlesbrough.

"Oh, yes. That's only an hours walk from here," she said. Merlin thanked the women, and went to go find Arthur.

When he had found him, he was talking to a man behind a counter at a very nice looking hotel.

"What do you mean you don't have a room with two beds available?" Arthur said, a look of anger growing on his face. Merlin sighed, walking over to them.

"I'm sorry sir, but there are none available at this time," the desk clerk said. Arthur groaned in frustration.

"Arthur, its fine. We can just share a bed for now. Its only for a few days," Merlin said, resting a hand on the other boys shoulder. Arthur sighed.

"Fine," he snapped, "let's go." Arthur lead the way towards the room, and Merlin quickly thanked the desk clerk before following after his companion.

"The room is nice, besides the whole only one bed thing." he pointed out, but Arthur just grunted, looking around.

"Well, I suppose it will do. Come on, I'm so hungry. We need to find a nice restaurant or something." Merlin nodded, following Arthur out of the room.

 

When they had returned to their room, full and happy, they both collapsed into the large, queen sized bed, neither of them changing first.

"I could sleep for weeks." Arthur murmured, climbing under the covers. Merlin nodded his agreement.

"Goodnight, Arthur." he said, rolling over onto his side and shutting his eyes.

"G'night, Merlin."

**Author's Note:**

> This literally took me so long to write. I kept changing things 'cause I didn't like how they sounded, etc. It was horrible. Now I'm going to watch the show and cry because I fuckin love this show man.


End file.
